168 NGC Ch VF Marcus Aurelius Denarius Roman Empire Salus Snake Altar (21041601C)

Dated Choice Very Fine Marcus Aurelius Roman Empire denarius coin. Minted Dec 168 to Dec 169 CE (TR P XXIII), RIC 207, 3.29g.    Certified by NGC to Ch VF. A great portrait of the Emperor early in his reign as Augustus in the year that would see the death of his Co-Emperor Lucius Verus.  Obverse: M ANTONINVS AVG TR P XXIII, Laureate head right. Reverse: SALVTI AVG COS III, Salus standing left holding scepter & feeding snake twined around altar. Salus was the goddess of safety and welfare. Her temple on the Quirinal at Rome, dedicated in 302 BC, was the scene of an annual sacrifice on August 5. An interesting type for a period when the Empire was beset with extensive external warfare.